Team India jersey to be included in official FIFA merchandise

What’s the story?

For the first time in the history of Indian football, come October, the official team jersey will be a part of the FIFA merchandise.

Joy Bhattacharjya, project director, LOC, FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 told the Economic Times that they did not look at it as a financial opportunity but just wanted it for the sake of the fans.

He said, "Merchandise is something FIFA does centrally from Zurich. Therefore, when we came to know that an Indian company, Dream Theatre, has the rights for the next World Cup in Russia, we were also very keen on Under-17 World Cup.

"For us, we do not look at it as much a financial opportunity. But, for every fan who wears that t-shirt is like a word of mouth for the tournament, and Indian football, which is really important. We are all invested in making this tournament really successful because this is what will make Indian football big."

In case you didn’t know…

The official Indian football team jersey has not been available in the stores for quite some time now. Although they are available in the local markets, finding an official jersey is like finding a needle in a haystack.

However, as we reported, Kishore Taid had confirmed that the official jerseys will be available one month prior to the U-17 World Cup.

The details

Although the official jersey had been available to the fans at one point of time, it had never been a part of a global celebration of the game. This was because India had never taken part in any FIFA tournament. But with India playing at the upcoming U-17 World Cup, the jerseys are set to be a part of the official FIFA merchandise.

Dream Theatre had started their journey in the sport licensing business with FIFA 2014. However, in India, the business is still at a nascent stage. Globally, sports licensing business was valued at $27.6m back in 2015. It is projected to reach at least $48m by 2024. On the other hand, India's sports licensing business is currently at $30 million.

However, the company has rolled out a pretty strong programme across bags, watches and, of course, apparel.

What’s next?

India will play in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which starts in October 2017, in what will be their first ever appearance at a FIFA tournament.

Author’s take

That the Team India jersey will be included in FIFA’s official merchandise comes as a superb news for the Indian fans. This only confirms that the official jerseys will once again be available in the stores.